2008-2009 UCSD Secondary Application Thread

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I emailed a request for an estimate on 4/16 and received a response today.

Make that 3 for amazingly generous financial aid offer!

is that a typo? 4/16 is today ... they got back to you on the same day?
 
What? That is crazy. I called on the 7th as well and haven't heard anything back yet...but you sent in a request two days ago and heard back? 🙁
 
UCSDs finaid is based on need catagories (1-5; 1=rich parents). I fell into a 4 and got a huge grant/scholarship. Based on mine, Id imagine a 5 is essentially tuition-free.
 
UCSDs finaid is based on need catagories (1-5; 1=rich parents). I fell into a 4 and got a huge grant/scholarship. Based on mine, Id imagine a 5 is essentially tuition-free.

There's a good powerpoint online by the financial aid office that describes the need categories if anyone cares.

http://meded.ucsd.edu/assets/25/File/Financing_Ur_Med_Ed_0809.ppt

Turns out anything greater than $26,026 in family contributions places you in need category 1, which means no available grant money. I wish I had seen this before I even bothered applying for financial aid, because I'm certainly above that number. Of course I'm not seeing a dime from my parents, so I guess I'm graduating with the full $200,000 in debt 🙁.
 
In-state w/ 3.6 GPA/38MCAT from UC Berkeley. I interviewed in late March after sending letters essentially begging for an interview and was placed in acceptable pool a couple weeks later.
 
There's a good powerpoint online by the financial aid office that describes the need categories if anyone cares.

http://meded.ucsd.edu/assets/25/File/Financing_Ur_Med_Ed_0809.ppt

Turns out anything greater than $26,026 in family contributions places you in need category 1, which means no available grant money. I wish I had seen this before I even bothered applying for financial aid, because I'm certainly above that number. Of course I'm not seeing a dime from my parents, so I guess I'm graduating with the full $200,000 in debt 🙁.

26k in family contributions? What does that mean, that the govt expects your parents to be able to pony up 25k/yr?

If so, the rationale behind this is pretty legit--the government cant take responsibility for you when you parents can--it sint fair to shift your debt onto taxpayers when it can sit on your parents without significant financial hardship. Whether they contribute anything (in the form of personal loans etc) is a personal issue.
 
26k in family contributions? What does that mean, that the govt expects your parents to be able to pony up 25k/yr?

If so, the rationale behind this is pretty legit--the government cant take responsibility for you when you parents can--it sint fair to shift your debt onto taxpayers when it can sit on your parents without significant financial hardship. Whether they contribute anything (in the form of personal loans etc) is a personal issue.

Agreed in principle. Unfortunately, the formulas that produce family contributions have always been slightly skewed in that they always fail to take into consideration average cost of living and other financial burdens, ultimately punishing middle class and upper middle class families that are expected to pay in full, but in no way can.

I'm obviously complaining because of my own personal situation. While I don't expect money to come from the government, I'd really like to have a chance of receiving of institutional grants and non-predatory loans. In the end, it just places more pressure on me to be successful and whatnot, but it's hard to say that the system is "fair" the way it's currently set up.
 
That understandable, but your parents must be making a fairly sizeable amount/yr if the govt came up with that number. If they choose to live in way with a high CoL, then that is their choice. The uni only has limited funds and is obligated to disperse them to people who are less fortunate than you because they dont have a parental fallback in the even that some sort of crisis were to occur.

Also you are still eligible for govt unsub and sub loans, which are far from predatory.
 
I posted a little while back that I was waitlisted, but my GPA is about 3.72 and MCAT is 38S.

I'm an OOS'er. I don't know how much that will affect my chances at this point, but you might be better off as a CA resident.

I talked to Brian yesterday: The AdCom is meeting on Monday, which should be followed up by an email Friday asking whether we're still interested in UCSD, and then sometime after that, they will start to reject/accept people from the "acceptable pool," which then officially becomes a waitlist.

I talked to someone at the admissions office today. First, she told me that waitlisters would be reviewed this upcoming Monday and more decisions would be made. But then she put me on hold to find out more info, and she told me that all final interview decisions would be made this upcoming Monday and that waitlisted applicants probably won't be reviewed until June. 🙁 I hope I'm wrong...
 
I talked to someone at the admissions office today. First, she told me that waitlisters would be reviewed this upcoming Monday and more decisions would be made. But then she put me on hold to find out more info, and she told me that all final interview decisions would be made this upcoming Monday and that waitlisted applicants probably won't be reviewed until June. 🙁 I hope I'm wrong...

It doesnt make sense to review WL people in April since May 15 is when they will lose a lot of students.
 
From the previous post I quoted, I had hoped that they would at least start re-evaluating the waitlist so we could get a greater sense of where we fall in the acceptable pool. The lady at the admissions office even suggested the same thing without me asking, but later on she found that it wasn't true. I just wanted to update people who were hopeful like me.
 
I talked to someone at the admissions office today. First, she told me that waitlisters would be reviewed this upcoming Monday and more decisions would be made. But then she put me on hold to find out more info, and she told me that all final interview decisions would be made this upcoming Monday and that waitlisted applicants probably won't be reviewed until June. 🙁 I hope I'm wrong...

So, acceptable pool doesnt find out till June at the earliest?
 
If no applicant can hold an acceptance to more than one school after May 15th, then why does it take for a medical school several months from May 15th to process their waitlist?
 
If no applicant can hold an acceptance to more than one school after May 15th, then why does it take for a medical school several months from May 15th to process their waitlist?

I assume by that time they are now making decisions based the response they get from others they accept off the waitlist post May 15th.
 
Koala said June. May 15 and June are not months apart.

I didn't mean the date med schools start looking at their waitlists, I meant the date med schools stop looking at them. For example, UCLA starts looking at their waitlist around May 15th and may keep accepting well into end of July: 2+ months apart.
 
I didn't mean the date med schools start looking at their waitlists, I meant the date med schools stop looking at them. For example, UCLA starts looking at their waitlist around May 15th and may keep accepting well into end of July: 2+ months apart.
Ohh that just depends on how many people drop. For example, let's say UCLA wants a class of 150 and there are only 100 students who accept their offer of admission on May 15. Well, they pull 50 people off the waitlist. But some of those 100 students may get an offer off a waitlist they prefer more than UCLA. So another 10 students enroll at their prefered school (and withdraw from UCLA), so they have to accept another 10 students in June. This slows down significantly but it's possible that in July, another student withdraws and they pull another person off the waitlist.

I think most schools do it this way.
 
I didn't mean the date med schools start looking at their waitlists, I meant the date med schools stop looking at them. For example, UCLA starts looking at their waitlist around May 15th and may keep accepting well into end of July: 2+ months apart.

Because they accept people off the waitlist but the person says no, which may take 2 weeks total both ways. So then they have to relook again...etc...

Some people are on multiple waitlists so just because they get into one doesn't mean that is for sure.

EDIT:

When I emailed Brian like two months ago this is what he said:

"Close review of applicants in the acceptable pool will not begin until the 2nd half of April so if you are thinking you only want to send one update, maybe April 15 would be a good approximate target date."

So ya...if that helps anyone.
 
In-state w/ 3.6 GPA/38MCAT from UC Berkeley. I interviewed in late March after sending letters essentially begging for an interview and was placed in acceptable pool a couple weeks later.


haha same school, almost same stats as me! here's to hoping we get in...:luck:
 
haha same school, almost same stats as me! here's to hoping we get in...:luck:

I dunno...you two may have to duke it out. I don't think there is room enough for two people with the same school/stats on the playground.

May the better man (or woman) win!


Kidding of course...stop fighting!
 
Count me in as part of this luck-triangle too! 👍 Go Bears!

Damn, you have crazy stats. At least you got research on me....

If you dont mind me asking, have any of you guys gotten any love from the other UCs?
 
Damn, you have crazy stats. At least you got research on me....

If you dont mind me asking, have any of you guys gotten any love from the other UCs?

Hey thanks, but stats can only take you so far though, as exemplified by my app. No UC love yet... UCSD and UCI are still possibilities...
 
=( Got the WL email from Brian today at 6:30pm. At least he saved me the agony of waiting for the decision tomorrow though I'm pretty bummed this means I have to wait on Cali. If any of you were told you'd be reviewed in the last batch, maybe no email tonight is great news.
 
I know they are probably super busy, but I hope I get my estimate this week sometime. I'm getting anxious.
 
I just withdrew. Good luck to everyone on the waitlist!!
 
Did anyone get accepted after their april 20th meeting? I haven't heard a single person get accepted after that meeting....and it seems as if they're waiting for outstanding offers to withdraw...
 
Did anyone get accepted after their april 20th meeting? I haven't heard a single person get accepted after that meeting....and it seems as if they're waiting for outstanding offers to withdraw...

A friend of mine got in yesterday.
 
Ummm..A building that people call a medical school for a start. A lecture room here, another one in basement somewhere, administration in a treehouse is not what i expect from a school that is ranked in top 20. 😛

LOL---absolutely hilarious...especially about the tree-house part...it's so true.
 
UCSDs finaid is based on need catagories (1-5; 1=rich parents). I fell into a 4 and got a huge grant/scholarship. Based on mine, Id imagine a 5 is essentially tuition-free.

Does UCSD's finaid need based categories differentiate on the basis of independent vs dependent status like FAFSA? Also, does being accepted from the acceptable pool or later in the cycle have any influence on the FA package(specifically the need based stuff)? Thanks
 
Does UCSD's finaid need based categories differentiate on the basis of independent vs dependent status like FAFSA? Also, does being accepted from the acceptable pool or later in the cycle have any influence on the FA package(specifically the need based stuff)? Thanks

They consider your parents assets in their calculation (this includes the worth of their house/any loan trouble they are in as well as their income) UNLESS you are married, where they consider your spouse's income (which sucks cuz if your spouse makes like 1500/month they put you into category 1 I think). I would imagine WL people might not have as much access to grants/scholarships, but it is difficult to really discern how much of an impact that would make.
 
Rejected-

The Admissions Committee of the UCSD School of Medicine has completed its review of the acceptable applicants to the first year class and has made the final decision regarding applicants to be alternates for the class. I regret to inform you of their decision not to consider your application further. The Committee feels that applicants who do not have any possible chance of hearing of an acceptance from us during the summer should be encouraged to pursue other opportunities for acceptance. The task of deciding among the many qualified applicants to our medical school is difficult, and we realize that many applicants we are compelled to reject will undoubtedly become fine physicians. We trust that you will be more successful in gaining admission elsewhere and send you our best wishes for the future.

A hard copy of this message will be mailed to the address above.

On behalf of the Admissions Committee, thank you for the interest you expressed in UC San Diego.

Sincerely,




Brian Zeglen
Director of Admissions
🙁
 
I just got the rejection email today too =(

My alma mater...

I guess this means re-application for me next year

Hope you don't feel too, too bad Kire. Best of luck to everyone else =)
 
sorry to hear that guys! 🙁

For those of you who are still waiting...you will be receiving an e-mail from Brian asking whether you want to remain on the acceptable pool list.

Best of luck to everyone!
 
After these emails, how many ppl most likely remain on the acceptable pool?

Thanks and sorry to the ppl that got the bad news.

Not sure about how many people left, but don't know why they had to put everyone in the acceptable pool and then do this...

You dont seem to be that sorry to those who got the bad news, it seems like more of an obligation after you asked the question which addresses 'what are my chances now that the pool is smaller'...
 
After these emails, how many ppl most likely remain on the acceptable pool?

Thanks and sorry to the ppl that got the bad news.

100 people received denial letters today and the admissions office expects an unspecified number of applicants on the AP list to withdraw their application.
 
Not sure about how many people left, but don't know why they had to put everyone in the acceptable pool and then do this...

You dont seem to be that sorry to those who got the bad news, it seems like more of an obligation after you asked the question which addresses 'what are my chances now that the pool is smaller'...

What do you expect? If someone is still on the waitlist they can't be 100% apologetic to people who were rejected...we are all "competition" whether we like it or not...we can feel bad but at the same time it makes sense to feel a little excited as well.
 
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